


google search: how do you know if it’s a date?

by barnabashale



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, First Dates, Ice Skating, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:21:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24763030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/barnabashale/pseuds/barnabashale
Summary: “People only go to the Enchanted Lake to confess their undying love,” Mal said shrugging. “Everyone knows this-even Jay. I’m sure he’s been asked out enough times.”Carlos’s face went completely white.“And he’s said no every time!” Mal added, forced brightness in her tone.After going to cotillion together, Jay and Carlos haven’t really talked about their relationship. Months later Jay asks Carlos to go out to the Enchanted Lake with him for what might be maybe, perhaps, kind of their first date.
Relationships: Jay/Carlos de Vil
Comments: 11
Kudos: 92





	google search: how do you know if it’s a date?

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this before i saw d3 bc d2 had me so depressed.
> 
> canon divergent au where carlos asked jay to cotillion instead of jane. also dizzy came to auradon sooner than in the films bc i didn’t think they’d make her wait over a year after inviting her.

The VKs sat in Evie and Mal’s dorm room, studying together late one evening. Studying was a generous term, as Evie was actually just trying out new hairstyles on Mal, after threatening Jay with a “you’re next,” while Jay and Carlos talked about the first day of practice for Auradon Prep’s winter sport—some sort of game involving ice skates and lances.

“You should’ve seen Carlos, he could barely stand,” Jay laughed.

“Oh I can imagine,” Mal said, prompting Carlos to throw a pillow at her. She laughed but Evie squeaked out a “hey!” as the intricate looping ponytail... thing she was doing to Mal’s hair fell out of her hand.

“Shut up, I don’t know how anyone can keep their balance just standing on those two little blades,” Carlos said. “Maybe you’ll actually let me out of this sport?” He added to Jay, though he didn’t look hopeful.

“Nah,” Jay said, shoving his friend. They hadn’t spoken about the more than friends clause of their cotillion date, yet. Carlos didn’t know what that meant, but he did feel justified in thinking that the ball was definitely in Jay’s court now. “Look,” he paused glancing over at the girls. “Tomorrow let’s practice? The Enchanted Lake has frozen over, we could go there?”

Carlos shrugged. “Sure,” he said, shrugging. Dude was now trying to jump up onto the pillow Mal held. She stuck her tongue out at him. “Hey, don’t be rude,” Carlos said.

“I thought the whole point of our little me-running-away-to-the-isle adventure was to let me be rude?” Mal said, mock hurt.

“Uh,” Jay said, coughing a bit. Carlos turned back to him, the girls looked over now, too. “So, um, tomorrow? Noon?”

“Yeah, I’ll meet you at the Enchanted Lake,” Carlos said, smiling. Jay’s face split into a grin at him, but then his eyes slid over to the girl’s and his face went red.

“Cool, cool, hey, I should actually. Get going,” He didn’t make any further excuse before gracelessly grabbing his study materials and practically jumping to leaving the room.

“Weird,” Carlos said, shaking his head with a laugh after Jay, before turning his attention back to Mal and Evie who were... Also weird. Mal had an eyebrow raised and a sly smile on her face, while Evie was grinning with her hands clasped together.

“Carlos!” She said.

“What?” Carlos asked.

“Um, Jay just asked you out on a date,” Mal said.

“What!” Carlos said. “No he didn’t-he offered to help me out with my skating!”

“At the _Enchanted Lake_ ,” Evie said, dreamily, and Mal nodded with a serious expression.

“Why wouldn’t he just ask you to the rink, dummy?” she said.

“I—but we haven’t even talked about. Things,” Carlos said. Dude had leapt onto the bed beside Carlos now, sitting close to his now frantic owner.

“That must be why he asked you,” Evie said, still dreamy. “He’s gonna ask you to be his boyfriend at the Enchanted Lake. Oh, Carlos, it’s so romantic, I’m so excited for you!”

“Okay, okay, how can you be so sure!” Carlos said, almost full on panicking at this point.

“People only go to the Enchanted Lake to confess their undying love,” Mal said shrugging. “Everyone knows this-even Jay. I’m sure he’s been asked out enough times.”

Carlos’s face went completely white.

“And he’s said no every time!” Mal added, forced brightness in her tone.

“I don’t think I can do this,” Carlos said, lying back. Dude jumped onto his chest, and barked at him a little. “I’m so glad you can’t talk anymore,” Carlos huffed.

“We’ll help,” Evie said, clapping her hands, and Carlos shot her and Mal a apprehensive, unconvinced look.

-

The next morning the four of them sat together at breakfast, along with Lonnie, Doug, Ben, and an excited Dizzy. Even after months at Auradon Prep she still seemed to just be in a constant buzz of excitement at all of it. Luckily she’d finally stopped eating exclusively sweets for every meal, a plate of free range eggs and veggie bacon in front of her now as she and Lonnie talked about hair. Or something.

All Carlos could think about what how it was just four hours until his and Jay’s “date.” Even with Jay sitting so close to him, talking to Ben across the table. Carlos was leaning a bit onto him, exhausted after a night of tossing and turning, anxious of the date. It wasn’t lost on him that the concept of Jay was so much more terrifying than the actual reality of spending time with him. It wasn’t a thought that soothed his anxiety over the “date,” though.

“Carlos!” Evie said, jolting Carlos out of his thoughts, and, he realized, awake. He must of dozed off somewhere, his head leaning on Jay’s shoulder, Jay’s arm around his back keeping him supported. “I was talking to you,” Evie pouted.

“Oh, uh huh?” Carlos sat up, Jay’s arm slid away from his back. He felt cold.

“I said you should come up to our room after breakfast-to work on. You know,” Evie said. Mal couldn’t hide her snicker.

“Sure, yeah,” Carlos said. He finished the rest of his breakfast quickly, before being dragged away by Evie, trailed by Mal.

“See you at noon?” Jay called after them.

“Yeah!” Carlos called back, seeing Lonnie perk up at this mention, as well as Ben suddenly grin. Looked like everyone was going to know all about this “date” by the time it even happened.

-

“I’m not wearing makeup,” Carlos said, once they arrived to Evie and Mal’s dorm again.

“Not even a little blush?” Evie asked, frowning. “It would really brighten your complexion!”

“I think he’ll be blushing enough,” Mal said. Carlos groaned.

“Please let me deep condition your hair at least!” Evie said, sounding a bit desperate.

“Fine, fine,” Carlos said, sighing, and Evie squealed with excitement.

They sat in the girls’ bathroom, Evie conditioning Carlos’s hair and Mal sitting in the bathtub on her phone, scrolling through stupid YouTube videos.

“So what are you planning on wearing?” Evie asked.

“Uh,” Carlos said. “I hadn’t thought of it. I mean it’s cold out so... A coat?”

“You’re so clueless,” Evie rolled her eyes. “We’ll head to your room after this and pick something good out.”

“I think whatever he wears will be good,” Mal said. “Jay’s already in love with him.”

Carlos’s face went red. “He is not!” He said.

“Yes he is, he has been for ages,” Mal said.

“Did he tell you this?” Evie asked, an incredulous look on her face.

“He doesn’t have to,” Mal said. “I’ve known Jay for longer than any of you and I can just see it. We’re just like that.” Evie laughed and rolled her eyes.

“Do you... Really think so?” Carlos asked, eyes wide as he looked at Mal. Mal looked up from her phone, expression totally serious.

“Yes, I do,” she said. “But don’t take my word for it, he’ll tell you soon enough.”

Carlos nodded, looking at himself in the mirror. Mal had definitely been right about how he wouldn’t need blush. Evie was smiling at him over his shoulder. He smiled back.

“Okay, so we just need to leave this on for an hour, and then we will still have plenty of time to pick something for you to wear!” She said.

The three of them ended up sitting in the tub watching videos on Mal’s phone, laughing and having a good time while Carlos’s hair was strengthened and softened with the conditioner. Afterwards Evie washed it out and they went to Carlos and Jay’s room. Jay was luckily not there and Evie went straight to raiding Carlos’s closet.

She was holding up different combinations of bottoms and tops against Carlos when Mal’s phone rang. Evie and Carlos looked on as Mal answered it.

“Jay!” she said, giving Evie and Carlos a look. “Oh...” she laughed. “Yeah I am. Okay, okay, okay!” She shook her head. “Yeah, I’ll be there. Okay. Yeah. Idiot.” She hung up the phone.

“Yeah?” Evie asked.

“As much as I’ll miss this fashion show,” Mal said, grabbing her jacket from where she’d put it on Carlos’s bed. “I gotta go.”

“Okay?” Carlos said.

“And don’t even _think_ this is related to this whole date business,” she said, unconvincingly. “Jay doesn’t get nervous.” She rolled her eyes, waving as she left, Evie giggling in her wake.

“Boys,” she said.

“I’m a boy,” Carlos frowned.

“Yeah, you too,” Evie teased. “Anyway, wear this.” She tossed a bundle of clothes at him, and ushered him into the boys’ bathroom. He inspected the clothes in there. A pair of black jeans that had needed to be cut off at the bottom since he’d been too short for them, a white button up with red stitching and buttons, and a black and white striped sweater. He looked at himself in the mirror now, hair nicely done, dressed well. Evie knocked on the door.

“Are you decent?” She asked.

“Yeah, come in,” Carlos said, still staring at himself. He bit his lip, feeling a bit self conscious suddenly. Evie appeared behind him now.

“Here,” she said, turning Carlos towards her. She reached out and pinned something to his collar. When he looked back at the mirror there was now a gold chain across his collar, with two ruby red gemstones connecting it to the collar’s button holes. Evie reached out and smoothed his hair just a bit more and he smiled at himself, small.

“You look good,” Evie said.

“Yeah...” Carlos said. He didn’t really focus too much on his looks usually, but he found himself really happy with what he saw in the mirror.

“Mal is right, though, Jay likes you,” Evie said. “This is all fun, of course, but... Just know that Mal is right.”

“We shouldn’t tell her that too often, though,” Carlos said, looking over his shoulder at Evie, who laughed. 

It was forty-five minutes until noon, and they went over jacket choices until 11:45 hit which was went Carlos grabbed his skates and headed out. Dude gave him a little bark of encouragement as he left. 

It was weird. Cotillion should’ve been their first date, but with everything that had happened... Carlos hadn’t had time to feel nervous. He’d just felt so happy that Jay had said yes, and then he felt so terrified as Uma tried to capsize the boat and get them all killed. This _date_ at the enchanted lake was... Well, it was just about him and Jay. And his heart was racing at that.

He got to the Enchanted Lake early, but Jay was already there. His hair was partially pulled back and he paced back and forth, hands gesturing nervously. Carlos grinned. Not nervous, huh.

Carlos crept up on his... Well, his friend. For now. When he was close enough he jumped out in front of his path with a loud noise. Jay screeched and jumped back, clutching the front of his maroon coat. Carlos laughed.

“Got ya,” he said. And Jay grinned.

“Oh yeah?” he tackled Carlos right back and they wrestled back and forth before Jay got Carlos in a headlock like he always did.

“If I was just a bit taller, you’d never get me,” Carlos said, breathless and laughing.

“But you’re not,” Jay let Carlos go and grinned at him. His nervous energy seemed mostly worn off with their tussle.

“Yeah, I’m not,” Carlos tried to fix his hair, but Jay reached out and tousled it, making it a pointless gesture.

“You’re hair’s way soft,” Jay said, his hand still on Carlos’a head.

“Yeah, I finally let Evie deep condition it,” Carlos said.

“She’ll put you on a monthly regimen now,” Jay said, grinning.

“You know from experience?”

Jay laughed, and turned to scoop up his skates from the ground. “Let’s get on the ice?” He asked.

“Sure, sure,” Carlos said. The two sat at the edge of the lake, close, as they put their skates on. Shoulders and knees bumping. Carlos smiled to himself, looking down at his feet. When he dared to glanced up at Jay he saw that he was grinning, too.

Jay pushed off onto the ice, first. He skated around somewhat gracefully. Carlos looked down at his own feet, now perfectly encased in their knife-shoes, and tried to push himself up. He nearly fell, pushing off too hard, but Jay was by his side in a second, holding him steady.

“Okay, let’s take it slow?” Jay asked. “Hold my hand.” Carlos did as he was told. His legs were wobbling, though. “You gotta find your balance, just try standing.”

Carlos did try standing but one of his feet tried to slide out from under him, causing him to grab onto Jay’s bicep for stability. “How is just standing so hard?” Carlos fretted.

“You have to plant your feet, you’re too scared,” Jay said. “You’re not gonna fall, just... Stand.”

Carlos did as he was told, trying to not be so terrified of bashing his face into the ice. He took a deep breath and tried to stand evenly.

“You don’t have to be scared the skates wont hold you,” Jay said with a teasing smile. Carlos glared at him a bit, but with no real fire to it. He took a deep breath and loosened his grip on Jay’s arm, and just stood. “Perfect!” Jay said. “Now let’s skate!”

After standing there was skating, which was hard, but got easier as Carlos learned not to be so afraid of falling. He did nearly fall a bunch, but Jay caught him every single time. Soon the two of them were skating rather easily across the lake. Holding hands. Carlos really felt like he was dreaming.

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to do this and worry about the game, though,” Carlos said.

“Don’t worry about the game, then,” Jay shrugged. “I’ll pick up the slack.” He winked at Carlos who laughed.

“Why do you always want me to be in all these sports with you?” Carlos asked. “I’m never very good at them.”

“It’s like what coach said,” Jay said. “About a team being like a body...”

“And I’m your brain?” Carlos said.

“No more like...” Jay looked away now. “I mean—yes. In a way?” Jay breathed out a nervous laugh. “Like... You focus me. I like seeing you there, I like having you near. It puts everything in perspective, I want to do well for you, for us.” Jay looked at Carlos now. “Even when everyone else on the team is being all annoying and Auradon-y, there’s you.”

“That... doesn’t make any sense?” Carlos said, laughing. Jay pushed his shoulder, and Carlos lost his balance, falling to the ground, Jay reached out to stabilize Carlos but instead found himself crashing down with him. It wasn’t a hard fall, the two of them landed kind of softly enough into a tangle.

“Ouch,” Carlos said, because a fall on the ice was still a fall on the ice regardless. 

“Sorry,” Jay said, guilty. 

“No, it’s fine,” Carlos said. “I was teasing you.” He struggled to get himself into a sitting position, but didn’t try any harder to stand. Jay followed suit, sitting on the cold ice with Carlos. “I think I do know what you mean.”

“Yeah?” Jay said, there was a telling bloom of hope in his voice.

“Yeah,” Carlos looked up at him shyly. He had more he wanted to say but... The ball was still in Jay’s court, he insisted. The two just looked at each other. Jay scooted a bit closer on the ice and Carlos felt his face heat up red again.

Jay took a deep breath. “I... I don’t. Absolutely hate you.”

Carlos was confused. “What?”

“I mean—“ Jay shook his head, and laughed a little breathless laugh to himself. “Why is this so hard?”

Carlos bit his lip.

Jay looked up at him. “I... I can’t believe we’re here sometimes.” He says this with such honesty in his voice. “Auradon is crazy, and I get why Mal felt the way she did—it’s hard here sometimes. For me.” Carlos nodded. “I guess not hard for you, huh.” Carlos nodded again, albeit a bit embarrassed. “But back on the isle, this,” Jay gestured around them, and then at Carlos, “we couldn’t do this, there. Or—I never would’ve. I wouldn’t of even entertained the idea... of us.”

“Us?” Carlos said. Jay had inched closer to him.

“Yeah,” Jay breathed. “Um.” He shook his head. “I really like you, Carlos. I’m actually kind of in love with you.”

And even though Evie and Mal had told Carlos that Jay loved him, that he was going to tell him that at the enchanted lake, it was nothing like it actually happening. Carlos’s face broke out into a grin and he couldn’t help himself, he reached out and grabbed Jay’s collar and pulled him in for a kiss. Jay grinned into it, and when Carlos pulled back he felt breathless.

“I love you,” he said. “I love you!” Carlos shook his head in shock. “I love you and I think I’ve got frost bite on my butt from sitting on this ice but I love you!” And Jay laughed, standing up before pulling Carlos up on stiff legs, holding his waist when he was standing.

“So are we... More than friends, now?” Jay asked, and Carlos nodded enthusiastically.

“Yes, I think so,” he said. And Jay grinned, he leaned in as if to go for another kiss, which Carlos was eager to accept, but then he faked him out at the last moment, pulling him into a headlock.

“Got you!” He said, and Carlos laughed, wiggling away on his skates, managing to skate away without incident as Jay chased him around the lake. “See! You’ll play just fine!” Jay called after him as he laughed.

-

Exhausted and elated, the two walked back to the school hand in hand, laughing and talking. Bumping shoulders and grinning. Entering the building they met Evie and Mal casually standing in the foyer.

“You’re back!” Evie squeaked, she ran up to Carlos, pulling him aside. “You have to tell me everything!” She said, as Mal rolled her eyes.

“Hey!” Jay said. “Be gentle with him, that’s my boyfriend.”

“Oh?” Mal said, standing up. And Carlos laughed, and Evie squealed and clapped her hands while Carlos hid his face in his, grinning. 

“Let’s go eat,” Carlos said. “I’m starving and Jay didn’t bring any food to our” a pause, “date.” He said, shooting a fake glare at his... Boyfriend. Jay just laughed.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll buy you something now,” he said.

“Oh that sounds wonderful, I haven’t had anything since breakfast,” Evie said, winding her arm through Carlos’s as they began to make their way to the cafeteria.

“She’s been more anxious than you guys, somehow,” Mal said, rolling her eyes. “But I could use some food, too.”

And the four of them sat at their table together, enjoying a late lunch. Carlos was buzzing with energy yet completely exhausted from lack of sleep and skating. He leaned heavily on Jay’s shoulder, and Jay supported him with an arm around his back. Carlos could hardly believe that it wasn’t that long ago that his life had been completely devoid of love and real friendship, when it just seemed overflowing with it now. Jane and Lonnie arrived at the table not too long later, joining in on the chatter, with Ben surprising Mal with a kiss to her cheek as he arrived, and Dizzy running up to tell Evie of some new Auradon experience she’d gained that day, and Doug took his place next to Evie as well. Carlos’s heart felt full and contented, and he felt like he was probably the luckiest person alive, surrounded by some of the other luckiest people alive, as well.

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr; vndooms


End file.
